


Welcome to the New Age

by Risi



Category: Defiance (TV), Warehouse 13
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2015-05-12
Packaged: 2017-12-15 07:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Risi/pseuds/Risi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Claudia Donovan used to be a Warehouse agent, tough and cool. In the new world, however, she doesn't know what her purpose is. Maybe she'll discover it today...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Purpose

**Author's Note:**

> Idea wouldn't leave my head, 'What if Claudia rescued Irisa? Wouldn't that be cute?'
> 
> I'm no writer, I'm an artist. But I figured that since I wrote this idea down, I might as well share it, right?
> 
> Also posted on fanfiction.net and Deviant Art.

April 15, 2030

Dear Diary,

Today, I finally found a reason to go on. It all started at an arkfall...

~*~*~

"Damnit!" Claudia yelped, having cut her leg on the twisted metal of the ark. She sat down and got a bandage from her pack, dressing the wound. "Ark hunting, it's easy tech, what a load of  _shtako_. I miss the days when easy tech was an Amazon order."

The days where the redhead needed only place an order online were long gone. In fact, all she had left of that time was her roller and a locket with a picture of all her closest friends.

The friends-who were like family to the woman-were all dead, thanks to the damn Pale Wars. Artie was killed by a Sensoth thug who was clobbering any human he found into an early grave. Said Sensoth had met his end at the hands of Claudia, with a little help from a Tesla and a certain doorknob. Pete and Myka had died protecting the president, having been in DC for an artifact at the time of the attack on the White House, they did what Secret Service agents are meant to do. Steve died while saving a Castithan child from a burning building. Her own brother, Joshua, was killed in a bombing at CERN. And HG, she had taken her own life when she found out Myka was dead. Even the Warehouse was gone, Claudia had initiated Falcon Scott protocol to protect it, and since then it had been covered with terraformed earth.

Claudia shook her head, chasing away the sad memories. She stood up and resumed her hunt for useful Vo-tech, as she used it to make convenient gadgets to sell.

After scrounging some usable tech from the ark, left the fallen ship and headed to her roller. Her roller was the only thing that still made her happy, it was her old Prius, she had modified it to survive the new world. With so little left that brought her joy, the woman often pondered whether there was any reason for her to even exist anymore.

As Claudia tossed the salvage into the back of her roller, something made her freeze. Suddenly she was slamming the back of the roller, leaping behind the wheel, and driving as fast as she could towards her goal.

She had heard something she could not ignore.

She sped towards the sound.

It was a child's terrified scream.

~~Irisa~~

"Shut up you little bitch!" hissed an Irathient man in his native tongue, slapping the recipient of his words.

Said recipient was a tiny Irathient girl, only six years old, battered and bruised, tears streaming down her little face, wrists bleeding from the chains that bound her.

"You're worthless, girl. You bring our family nothing but shame for being a tiny little insect. You'll never even grow big enough to make something of yourself. Not only that, but you were born in a way that stopped your mother from ever being able to have a proper child! Yet you resist your just punishment? Today you will die for your sins." snarled the man, his face cold.

The child wailed in terror.

~~Claudia~~

Claudia parked her roller a few hundred meters out from a hut she spotted. The child had to be there.

A terrified wail confirmed this.

She sprinted onward, Tesla in her belt, Autopistol loaded in her hands.

_Hold on little one..._

~~Irisa~~

The little Irathient girl was sobbing. Her parents had charge blades. They were going to kill her.  _Irzu please help me!_

And then it seemed her prayer was answered.

Claudia kicked down the door- _I finally mastered that move, thanks Myka_ -and gasped in horror at what she saw.

A tiny Irath girl, emaciated, beaten, bleeding, sobbing, chained to the wall. Two adult Iraths with charge blades ready to tear the child to ribbons.

She raised her Autopistol and fired two shots.

The adult Irathients dropped to the floor, dead.

The child began shaking and sobbing even louder. "Please... don't hurt me..."

Claudia's heart broke. "Shhh, shhh, sweetie, I promise I won't hurt you. Let me help you, please?"

After what felt like an eternity, the little girl nodded. Claudia set to work releasing the kid from the shackles immediately. She winced at the little mews of pain the girl gave as the cuffs tore scabs from her wrists.

"Thank you..." the child whispered, her eyes shining as she gazed at her savior.

"Of course, baby. May I dress your wounds?" Claudia said gently, her eyes watery from both the horror she had seen here, and also from the sweet child's adoring gaze.

"Dress them?" And Claudia's heart promptly broke again. The child had never had her wounds treated before? What the hell was wrong with her parents?!

"Make them hurt less and get better, I mean." Claudia offered hopefully.

"You can do that?! Are you a goddess?" the child gasped in awe.

Claudia blushed furiously. "N-no, honey. I'm just... Claudia."

After an hour and almost all her bandages and ointment, Claudia finally had the girl all patched up. She had also put one of her pajama shirts onto the little fiery maned Votan like a dress, as the child's clothes were little more than threadbare strips of blood-soaked fabric anyway.

"Now, little one, would you like something to eat?" asked the human, even as she dug a meal bar from her pack, and pulled out her water bottle.

The kid scarfed the food down in under a minute and downed the water just as fast.

_Thank you, Irzu, for sending miss Claudia to save me. Finally tomorrow isn't scary, it's-_

_Tomorrow._

"Miss Claudia?! What's gonna happen to me now?!" the child's golden eyes were wide with panic.

Claudia gave a sad smile. "C'mere. Gimme a hug." Claudia opened her arms to the Irath, who dove into them. "I'll make you a deal," began the woman as she embraced the child. "I'll take care of you, raise you like my kid, protect you, never let you get hurt like this again," the human then locked eyes with the child. "But you gotta do one thing for me."

The tiny girl nodded furiously.

"Just tell me your name." Claudia grinned at the kid. The kid grinned back.

"My name's Irisa. And you're the best momma ever, and we'll be together forever and ever!" Irisa exclaimed, hugging Claudia tightly with her little arms.

Claudia was surprised at being called momma, but she did say Irisa would be her kid, and frankly, she liked the feeling it gave her. "From now 'til the arks rise again, you'll be my little Risi." Claudia planted a kiss atop the messy orange mop of hair on the girl's-her daughter's-head.

~*~*~

And that's how I found my purpose in this new world. Protecting my baby.

~Claudia Donovan


	2. The Tabby Cat

April 30, 2030

Dear Diary,

Shopping in a war zone with a kid from the other side is really rather challenging...

~*~*~

"Where're we goin' momma?" Irisa asked, golden eyes bright and curious. She was seated in the back of Claudia's roller.

Claudia glanced at the little girl in the rear-view mirror, smiling. "We're going to a town to do some shopping, Risi. The scanner says there's one several kilometers from here."

It had only been a little over two weeks since the human woman had saved the Irathient kid, but she had already embraced the role of Irisa's mother. She couldn't be happier.

Claudia had always wanted to have a family someday, only not quite like the one she had as a child-the parents wouldn't die and the big brother wouldn't get trapped in between dimensions. She was a dreamer like that, expecting to have a family without horrible disasters.

But then the Votans had arrived, the Pale Wars had started, and suddenly she was forty and lonelier than ever-not only did she not have her own family but all the people she cared about were dead.

Meeting this little alien changed her whole world. Sure, the situation wasn't,  _ideal_ , but Claudia wouldn't trade her baby for anything.

"Hey momma? What's that sign mean?"

The sign in question read:

**Sheridan**

**10 km**

**A NoVo town**

"That sign means we might have some trouble in town, Irisa." Claudia sighed and silently cursed her luck.

A "NoVo" town was short for "No Votan" town, meaning a humans only settlement, where any Votan who walked in was pretty much screwed. Even before she met Irisa, Claudia had hated the whole principle of NoVo towns. She had never liked prejudice in any form, and the Pale Wars hadn't changed her mind one bit. Votans were just like humans, just trying to get along in life, so why make it hard for them? As far as Claudia was concerned, species didn't matter, what mattered was being a decent person.

But that was neither here nor there. Fact of the matter was that the two redheads were low on supplies, and Sheridan was the only town within 50 kilometers.

And it wasn't like she could park outside of the town and leave Risi in the roller. That would be dangerous, not to mention that she didn't like it when the fragile child was out of her sight. Also, the kid needed her own clothes. Irisa couldn't just wear Claudia's shirts as dresses forever.

~~3 km out from Sheridan~~

"Why're you wrapping me in bandages, momma? I thought I was healed?" Irisa asked as Claudia wrapped gauze around the girl's arms and legs.

"Your wounds have healed up, mostly," Claudia was still concerned about Irisa's little wrists, the skin had begun to grow back but it was still fragile. "But I have cover your pretty stripes for now. This town is 'humans only' which is really dumb, I must say."

Claudia had figured that disguising Risi's assorted stripes was the best way to deal with what they had to in town without getting very, very hurt. Hell, last time Claudia had stopped in a NoVo town  _she_  had been nearly kicked out because she had red hair. Skruggin' idiots.

"Why don't they like Votans? You said race doesn't matter, that character is all that matters. That you love me for me." Irisa pouted at her adoptive mother.

Claudia sighed, her kid was as smart and stubborn as she was.  _Artie, I understand why I drove you nuts. Sorry!_  The woman rested her hands the girl's tiny shoulders. "I love you Risi, exactly the way you are. But not every human is like me. Some people, humans, Castithans, Liberata, whatever, are just... are just..."  _How do I say dumber than a pile of shtako in a child friendly manner?_

"Are just jekking morons?" Irisa offered.

"How'd you learn- you know what? Never mind. Jekking morons is accurate." Claudia figured there were bigger issues than Irisa swearing.

"Fine, disguise me." Irisa sighed as Claudia tried to force her wild orange hair to behave. Finally she managed to force some bangs to hang over the dot and arch marking above the Irath's nose.

~~Sheridan~~

It hadn't taken the two long to reach the marketplace in the town. They had gotten some nasty looks, but Claudia had her hair tied back to show that her bone structure was human, and they had gotten by the doubting people without trouble.

Irisa was in awe. She'd never been shopping before, and she couldn't imagine how anyone found what they wanted with so many shops around.

Claudia led Risi around by the hand, buying food and medical supplies first, then was directing the little Votan towards a booth that was selling children's clothing, when Irisa saw  _it._

It was perfect.

She had to have it.

"Momma, I want  _that._ " Irisa pointed her finger at the object.

It was a plush cat.

Claudia looked where her daughter pointed. "Tell you what, we get you some clothes then it's all yours." Suddenly Irisa was pushing Claudia to the clothing vendor. Claudia laughed to herself.  _Hurrying your parents isn't a human thing, I see._

~~Some shopping later~~

After buying Irisa five shirts, three pairs of pants, socks, shoes, underwear, a hoodie and a jacket, Claudia decided they could be done.

"Let's get you that-" Claudia didn't get to finish her sentence, the child was already dashing towards the stall that had her prize. Claudia followed, shaking her head at the kid's antics.

"How much for the plush cat?" Claudia asked the seller. Irisa tuned them out. The cat was up on a table, and if she climbed on a crate by the table she was sure she could reach it. Irisa was pulling herself onto the crate when the wrapping on her arm caught on a nail.

She had the cat in her hands when the shopkeeper turned to her, her left arm bare, revealing the striped marks of her kind.

"Votan scum!" the man snarled, his face twisted with rage.

Irisa froze in terror.  _He wants to hurt me!_

"Shtako." Claudia muttered as she scooped her into her arms, and ran.

"Stop them! That kid is an alien!" yelled the shopkeeper.

"Irisa, grab one of the spheres on my belt, push the button and throw it!" Claudia commanded. Irisa complied.

The Tesla grenade made its signature gasping sound as it incapacitated their pursuers.

Claudia just kept running until they were in her roller.

They drove until it was dark, and Claudia set up camp and prepared some food. Irisa waited in the roller, clutching her plush tightly to her chest.

"Irisa, dinner's ready!" Claudia called.

"Why feed me? I'm just a screw up. Like father said." Irisa snapped, followed by quiet sobs.

"Don't even say that! You made a mistake, that doesn't make you bad, it just means you're a regular person." Claudia said, as she walked up to the crying child.

"I'll tell you something, when I was a kid, I did  _way_  worse." Claudia confided. Risi sniffled.

"Really?" asked the Votan.

"Really. Now, why don't I tell you about this plush toy?" Claudia changed the subject and explained all about cats.

"And ones with stripes, like this one, are called tabbies." Claudia finished her brief lesson on felines. "You know, now that I think about it, you're kinda like a tabby cat, you've got stripes, you're tough, and you're cute."

Irisa giggled. "I'm a cat!"

"You are, my little tabby. Now, how about we eat something?"

~*~*~

In Spanish, no vo literally means I do not go. So no vo to NoVo. Hmm, that's not a very good joke is it? Oh well, no one reads my diary but me.

~Claudia Donovan


	3. Poisoned Minds

May 7, 2030

Dear Diary,

I am a failure as a mother. I let a horrible thing happen to my baby.

~~May 6~~

The huntress was still, her eyes locked on her quarry. It would not escape her, she was built to hunt. She was a cat.

She pounced.

The rabbit nimbly hopped away from the six-year-old.

"Ow..." Irisa moaned, starting to extract herself from the shrub she had landed in.

Claudia heard Irisa crash into the plant and sighed. She set aside her book- a copy of  _The Time Machine_ \- and walked over to the Irathient girl. "Risi, what have I told you?" the human used her best mothering tone- adopted from Leena- as she began removing the child from the bush.

"...I'm not a real cat..." Irisa mumbled.

"And?" Claudia raised an eyebrow.

"That I shouldn't attack wild animals..." the child sighed.

"Correct," the adult freed the girl from the imprisoning foliage. "Can you be a good girl and keep yourself occupied- without attacking things- for a while?" Claudia had gadgets to construct, they needed scrip and to get money you needed something to sell, which they were currently in short supply of.

"Yes momma." Irisa said, subdued.

"Good. I'll be by the roller if you need me, and don't wander too far, okay?" Claudia ruffled the girl's messy hair, earning a laugh, and went to the roller to get the Vo-tech that was her inventing canvas.

Irisa wandered back over to the tent, grabbing the pad of paper and crayons that Claudia had acquired for her. She started doodling the rabbit she had attacked earlier, tuning out the world around her. Suddenly her face was covered with a cloth.  _What's going... going on? Sleepy..._

The chloroformed child was carried away stealthily by a masked Castithan with a twitching eye.

~~About 2 hours later~~

Claudia had finally finished putting some useful gadgets together, and packed up all the tech she had been using.  _Irisa really has been quiet, maybe she fell asleep?_  the human pondered as she put her stuff back into the roller. "Irisa!" She called, smiling. "Irisa, time to make dinner! Wanna help me?"

The little girl did not come running.

"Risi? Risi, come here sweetie!" Claudia called, more loudly this time. She was getting worried.

Irisa still did not appear.

"Irisa! Risi!" Claudia yelled, feeling panic start to rise in her chest. She zipped around the campsite, looking for the Irath.

Shrub? No. Roller? No. Tent? Claudia was about to check tent off the list of places Risi could be when she heard a snap under her foot. It was a crayon, they were scattered all over the ground, and there were footprints, bigger than her own or Irisa's, coming up to the tent and leading away from it.

Someone took her baby. Claudia felt sick, someone had taken Irisa, and she hadn't been paying enough attention to stop them.

~~Elsewhere~~

Irisa woke up groggily.  _What happened? Where am I?_  "Momma!" Irisa called. She tried to reach up and rub her eyes, but she couldn't. Her little heart began racing.  _No, no no no no!_

She was tied up again. Her wrists were bleeding again. She was trapped again. "Momma!" Irisa shrieked, terrified. Someone began approaching her.

His face was covered by a mask, but he was clearly Castithan. His right eye had a twitch. He stepped forward and placed something on the floor in front of her.

"Who are you? What's going on? Where's my momma?" Irisa begged, eyes flicking between the man and the object on the ground. The object began to move.

The snake uncoiled itself and locked eyes with the panicked child. She sobbed. It lunged.

"MOMMA!" Irisa sobbed at the top of her lungs as the snake injected venom into her.

~~Claudia~~

Claudia's head whipped up from the box she had been looking in. She heard a sobbing scream that could only have come from Risi. She slammed the crate of artifacts shut and dove into the driver's seat.

No artifact could help her track Irisa down faster than that scream could.

_I will end you for hurting my daughter you zdaake._

~~Irisa~~

Irisa was aware of other people around her, aware that she was in some kind of cave or something, aware that someone was cutting the ropes that tied her hands, aware that a knife was being shoved into her hands. She was aware of all of all of this, but she didn't care. She wanted her mommy and that was all she was thinking about.  _Momma, please help me. Please..._  She started sobbing wildly, screaming for Claudia.

~~Claudia~~

Claudia heard the sobs, and was reminded of when she had saved Irisa a scant three weeks ago. She saw a cave with light shining out of it and stopped her Prius, shot out of it, and ran into the cave, Autopistol loaded and ready.

A sense of deja vu washed over her as she charged in, firing at the people who were holding Risi captive. Bodies dropped around the sobbing child, and after emptying the gun's magazine, Claudia had the full attention of those who were still alive.

"Against the wall." Claudia demanded as she reloaded her Autopistol. The cult members did as they were told, and Claudia kept the gun aimed at them as she swept the Irathient child into her arms. Once she had Irisa settled into her embrace, she spoke again.

"I am going to leave here with my daughter now. You  _idaka_  people will leave us alone or you will all die slowly and painfully." Claudia holstered her gun and pulled out a Tesla Grenade. "Now I'm gonna knock you all out and when you come to, you will not try to find me or my baby ever again. Do I make myself clear?" No one objected, and Claudia backed out of the cave and chucked the Tesla Grenade. Once she heard the thuds of the now unconscious people falling to the ground, she turned to Irisa.

"I am so sorry baby. I'm a terrible mother." Claudia whispered to the child who was sobbing into her shoulder. She stroked the Irath's hair gently, and walked back to their roller.

She drove them to the nearest town she could find, Irisa still clinging to her as she drove. By the time they got there and Irisa was treated for the snake attack, it was well after midnight. Claudia had made up her mind while the doctors took care of Irisa's wounds. She wasn't a mother, she couldn't take care of this kid. She had to do what was right for Irisa, and she knew now that she was not right to take care of the child.

~*~*~

I'm not a parent. Who was I trying to kid, raising Risi? I have to find her a safe home, one where she'll grow up to be the person she deserves to be. With any luck she'll forget about me in a few years. It's what's best for her. Clearly I can't protect her, I let her get kidnapped for goodness sake!

~Claudia Donovan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 4 not a spoiler. It was a scene that could have happened then didn't.
> 
>  
> 
> I did this on 6/23, uploaded it to deviantart, thought it was cute enough to share with, well, anyone who actually bothers to read my writing.


	4. 'Til the Last Ark Falls From the Sky

May 7, 2030

_The page is stained with tears, the writing is illegible..._

~~May 7, very early~~

Irisa stirred from her sleep, then shot up in bed.

"Momma?!" Irisa was panicked, she didn't sleep in a bed, she slept in a tent with Claudia. She whipped her head around, taking in her surroundings. She was in a hospital bed in a doctor's office. Claudia was right by the side of the bed. The human woman swept Irisa into her arms.

"Shh, shh shh. It's okay sweetie." Claudia stroked Irisa's hair gently, the little girl clinging to her shoulder.

"Where are we? What happened?" Irisa was still in a panic state, and could not for the life of her remember a thing that had happened the previous day.

"It-it's nothing you need to worry about honey. Let's go, okay?" Claudia scooped Irisa up into her arms and carried her out to their roller. She had already paid the doctors, so why stay?

Once they had left, the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Claudia sighed. She knew she had to give Risi up, but it broke her heart.

"Hey, Risi..." Claudia started, and trailed off.

"What's up momma? Where're we going?" Irisa had calmed down quickly after they had left, and was sitting in the back of the roller, peering out the window at the town as they drove by.

"That's the thing, baby.  _We_  aren't going anywhere, not together. I-I have to-I can't-" Claudia took a deep breath. "I have to give you up. I can't take care of you." Claudia waited for the girl to wail and scream, but it didn't come. She ventured a glance in the rear-view mirror, and her already broken heart shattered anew.

Irisa wasn't screaming or making any sound at all. Her head was down and her shoulders were shaking with the tears that were no doubt cascading down her cheeks. Claudia turned her eyes back to the road, starting to cry herself.

"Why did you lie to me momma?" Irisa's words were barely audible, but they were drowned in sorrow. "You said I'd be yours until the arks rise again. You said you loved me." Irisa's voice cracked on the last word, and she started sobbing audibly.

Claudia pulled the roller over and stopped it. She got out and again pulled the Irathient girl into her arms. "I do love you, my god, you don't know how much I love you. You are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time." Irisa started struggling now, shoving Claudia off of her.

"If you love me why are you trying to get rid of me?! You lie." Irisa had slipped into an angry state, snarling and shoving at Claudia, but even an angry feral Irath six-year-old was still a six year old. Claudia held her tightly. Irisa's fight died down. Claudia loosened her grip and held Irisa by the shoulders lightly.

"Why did you save me? You don't care about me, do you?" Irisa demanded.

Claudia was crying, and she couldn't respond to Irisa. She took a deep breath. "Risi. I saved you because you needed to be saved, and I love you more than anything in the world. But I'm not a parent, damnit, you were kidnapped yesterday! And I wasn't paying enough attention to stop them. I'm not... I can't protect you. You need to be safe and I can't keep you safe." Claudia was startled by a little hand covering her mouth.

"Momma..." Irisa pulled her hand away and then dove back into Claudia's arms. "Momma no one can protect me like you can. No one wants to. You love me. No one loves me."

"Risa, what if something happens again? You'd be safer in a place like this with a family who can keep you safe."

"But I won't have you, mommy. I don't want a family, I want you. And won't you miss me?"

"...yes. I'd miss you terribly, sweetie, but you'd be safe." Claudia admitted.

"And I'd miss you and then we'd both be sad." Irisa pointed out.

Claudia decided against mentioning that she had planned on making Irisa forget her using the Janus Coin, she already had given up on leaving Irisa behind. The woman gave a sigh of defeat. "I give up. You win. C'mon, let's get going before I come to my senses." Claudia hoped that the town wouldn't be too annoyed that she had filled out forms to give up a child and then never actually given the child up.  _Sorry city that used to be Denver, Risa's mine._

The two got settled in the roller again and drove away from the town, the sunrise shining over them as they drove off into the badlands. Irisa held her plush tight in her arms, and looked out into the world. She slowly dozed off, and Claudia hummed a serene tune to the little girl.

The song drifted into Irisa's dream...

~~End of morning~~

_The tears let up here, the writing is clear._

Irisa's still with me, for better or worse. I don't think I would have managed without her anyway. But I'm going to have to be a better mother to her, or I will never forgive myself for keeping her with me.

~Claudia Donovan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I can't do much other than cute.
> 
> So I wrote cute. Oh well.
> 
> I have plans for the next chapter, you can see indications in this chapter, if you're looking.
> 
> Was this too rushed? Too forced? I dunno. Tell me in the comments or shoot me a message.


	5. Where Is My Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter is short, but this is a rather quick update so enjoy.

May 7, 2030

Dear Diary,

I swear this is the last entry today. But Risa has some kind of ability I can only describe as artifact-y...

~~Sometime in the afternoon~~

Irisa and Claudia were on the road back into the badlands, and after about an hour of driving Claudia stopped the roller in a small cluster of trees and sat in the shade, scribbling in her diary.

Irisa yawned, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. She winced at a sharp pain in her wrist as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, but shook her head, ignoring the hurt. She had something much more interesting on her mind. "Mommy!" Risi called happily to Claudia, stepping out of the roller and approaching her mother.

"What's up tabby cat?" Claudia laughed and ruffled Irisa's hair, closing her diary.

"I had a dream and you were there!"

"What was I doing in your dream?"

"Singing a song and playing the guitar. You were singing that song you like to hum to me at night. What were the words? Um...  
 _With your feet on the air and your head on the ground_  
 _Try this trick and spin it, yeah_  
 _Your head will collapse_  
 _But there's nothing in it_  
 _And you'll ask yourself_  
 _Where is my mind, where is my mind, where is my mind..._ " Irisa recited the beginning of the song in question. "You were in a little shop, it was dark and there was a light on just you, and you were smiling so much when you finished your song."

"That... Irisa how did you know that?" Claudia gaped slightly at her daughter.

"Know what? It was just a dream." Irisa cocked her head and blinked at her mom.

"No, no that happened. That was the day I really started to embrace my music. It was the last time I saw my friend Fargo too... How did you see that?" Claudia cupped Irisa's face gently in one hand, eyes searching for some kind of telling sign of artifact-y influence. There wasn't any.

"Momma, what's going on? How did I see it if it happened in the past?" Irisa shifted from foot to foot, getting uncomfortable in Claudia's searching gaze.

Claudia smiled at Irisa, as unsure as she was she didn't need Irisa to get upset. "I dunno, but I guess you're just extra special!" Claudia stood up, and with a grin downwards, said, "How about we get some lunch ready? I'm starving."

Irisa calmed down, still uneasy about having basically spied on her mother's memory but she shoved her discomfort aside. "Lunch, yes please! I feel like I haven't eaten in forever!" Food was considerably more important than whatever her dream memory thing meant.

"Let's make some sandwiches then, huh?" Claudia led Irisa back to their roller, but both of them were worried about Irisa's dream.

The red headed duo were concerned about what the future would bring, but they simply had no choice but to carry on for the moment.

~~End of day~~

What artifact whammied her? It reminds me of the zoetrope but that's buried under the ground. I'll have to wait and see I suppose...

~Claudia Donovan


	6. CD's Tunes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses for making you wait so long. Forgive me?
> 
> In the over a year since I updated, I have gained nothing in ownership!

June 12, 2030

Dear Diary,

So, Irisa's dreams are more artifact-y than I thought.

~*~*~

Irisa was asleep in the back seat of Claudia's roller. This was to be short lived, because Claudia had music playing and she was singing along rather loudly. The song she was belting out wasn't a song meant for sleeping through. Halfway through the chorus of the song, Irisa woke up. "Mommy. Just because the song says 'We're singing Radiohead at the top of our lungs' this does not mean you have to sing along at the top of your lungs!" The little girl moaned.

Claudia blushed, and glanced back at her daughter. "Sorry kiddo, but it is the middle of the day. You don't need to sleep all day." The human chided, the Irathient scowling and rubbing her eyes in response. The youth looked exhausted. Claudia frowned. "Ris, did you sleep at all last night? You're not usually the kind to nap."

Irisa bit her lip, nervously. "I had one of those dreams again, and I woke up in the nighttime and thought about it until morning." The child mumbled, uncomfortable with the situation. "There was a woman who looks kind of like you, but older. She was playing a guitar like you were in that memory. She was singing, too, and her voice was really pretty. Then the bell on the door of her shop jangled, and the door opened, but... I saw me there. Momma, I don't remember that ever happening, but I was there." Irisa was worried, it was a strange sensation.

Claudia's brain was turning, the woman Irisa had described... no, it couldn't be. "Risa, whatever your dream means, it's okay. You're not trying to do anything bad, and that's enough. This is strange, sure, but my world has been full of strange since I was a little girl. This isn't the bad kind of strange." On the scale of artifact danger levels, this wasn't even on the radar. Nothing had combust, caused tremors, or tried to eat them, after all. The woman looked back at the child again. "Why don't we stop in the next town, we can get you some headphones so I can sing and you can sleep?" Irisa nodded thankfully.

~~Town of Aurora~~

Claudia and Irisa walked through the town, and stopped at a small shop. "Excuse me, but do you know where I could buy some noise cancelling headphones for my daughter?" Claudia asked the clerk. The young man nodded.

"Yeah, there's a woman who sells music stuff down the road, calls herself CD. There's a sign by her place, says 'CD's Tunes' you can't miss it!" The man told her, and Irisa went to the door.

"Mooooom, come on!" She whined, and headed off to the music store in question. Claudia rolled her eyes, thanked the clerk and gave him some scrip, and followed, about a dozen meters behind the little girl, not moving to catch up just yet.

Irisa glanced back to see her mother following her, and continued on. After she had passed a few buildings, the child spotted the sign the clerk had described. She ran up the steps and knocked on the door.

~~CD~~

The woman glanced up when she heard the bell on the door chime, she was playing her guitar but set it down to address her customer. "Hello there, can I help you?" She asked, looking at the little Irathient girl at the door. "Hey sweetie, are you okay?"

Irisa was shrinking backwards from the woman in surprise. That's her! The dream lady! Irisa thought, shocked. Claudia came up behind her then. "Hey kiddo, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." Claudia asked, picking the petite child up. Irisa just looked at the woman and then at her mother, looking back and forth. "I'm sorry, Irisa can be pretty timid, I'm..." Claudia looked up at the shopkeeper then, and her voice trailed off. "I... I'm..." she sputtered.

"...Claudia?" The other woman asked, awed. Claudia nodded. "Oh my god, Claudia!" The woman's eyes teared up, and she rushed from behind the counter to embrace her sister. "I never thought I'd see you again, little sister!" Irisa's eyes widened. She tugged on Claudia's sleeve, uncomfortable with this change.

Claudia looked back to her daughter, as her sister released them from the hug. "Irisa, this... this is my big sister. I'd like you to meet your aunt Claire." Claudia told the child. She looked back up at her sister. "Claire, this is my daughter, Irisa." Both Claudia and Claire had tears in their eyes.

Irisa was stunned. The dream woman, was mom's big sister? The little girl shook her head, trying to get her thoughts together. Shyly, she looked back up at Claire. "Hi." She waved a hand at the human woman. Claire waved back.

"Hi sweetie." Claire said to Irisa, smiling. She turned her focus to Claudia again. "Claud, we have to catch up! I have an apartment upstairs, would you like to come up?" Claudia nodded, and Irisa groaned. Claire looked at the sad Irathient. "What's wrong, Irisa?"

"I'm still really tired!" Irisa wailed.

Claudia laughed before she could stop herself. "Sorry sweetie. Claire, do you think we can find her a place to rest before we catch up?"

"Sure thing. Irisa can use my bed. Follow me, and we can all get settled." Claire said, and lead the two redheads up to her flat. Irisa curled up in the center of the bed and passed out almost at once. Claire and Claudia sat on the couch to catch up while Irisa was out. Claire gave Claudia another hug. "I've missed you. But you have to tell me how you ended up with that kidlet. She is too cute. What's the story with you two?"

Claudia took a deep breath. "I met Irisa almost two months ago. She was chained up and about to be killed by her biological parents, so I killed them and saved her. She was in bad shape, but she's healed up and a healthy weight now, when I met her she was emaciated. I took her in as my daughter and she sees me as a mother. We only have each other." Claire gasped.

"The poor dear! Oh my god, what kind of people would do that to a sweet little girl?" Claire sighed. "God, she's lucky to have you there for her." Claudia shook her head, and Claire frowned at her. "What happened, Claud?"

Claudia bit her lip and looked towards Irisa's sleeping forme. "I... let something happen to her. She got kidnapped. And abused, again." Claudia shook her head again, a tear streaking down her face. "I'm not doing her any favour, letting her stay with me. But I can't leave her behind, I love her too much." Claudia sighed.

Claire put a hand on Claudia's shoulder. "Claudia, this world is a disaster. You care about her, and she loves you. That's more than a lot of kids have." Claudia shrugged. "Claud, I'm not gonna pity you. You've got it pretty good. Come on." The older woman tugged her sister to her feet. "Let's jam together, I've got a guitar just like you used to have, you can play it and we can sing." Claire lead her sister to the music shop's back room, and they began their rendition of "When I Grow Up" together.

Irisa cracked an eye open. The music thing. This time with two people singing. She groaned, and yelled, "MOM I WAS SLEEPING!" from the room she was in. There was giggling from downstairs.

"Sorry kiddo!"

"If you were sorry you'd be quiet!" The Irathient buried her face in a pillow.

~*~*~

So, my sister is still alive! God, Claire is still alive. I'm so happy to see her.

And when the original problem is singing too loud, singing more does not help. It just makes Ris more annoyed if you wake her up again.

~Claudia Donovan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea where half of this came from.
> 
> Part of it is that I didn't know Claire existed when I started this fic, so she's still alive. Cos I didn't kill her in chapter one.
> 
> I dunno. Work with me here.


	7. Do You Read Me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writer's block had me for awhile. Sorry yo.

June 13, 2030

Dear Diary,

Claire thinks of things I probably should have...

~*~*~

Irisa and Claudia spent the night with Claire, the Donovan sisters reconnecting while the Irathient child slept. That night Claire slept on the couch, letting her sister and her new niece sleep in her bed. In the morning, Irisa woke rested and Claudia woke happy. Claire woke up a bit sore from the couch, but thrilled to have family again.

"Claudia, Irisa! Who wants pancakes?" Claire called for the mother and daughter who were just waking up. Irisa looked at Claudia with a bit of confusion.

"Momma what are pancakes?" Irisa whispered to Claudia.

"Yes we want them!" Claudia yelled to Claire, then turned to her daughter. "They're really yummy kiddo! C'mon."

Claudia and Irisa walked into the kitchen where Claire was mixing batter and had two bowls in front of her, one of berries and the other of chocolate chips. "Good morning! Claud, I know you want chocolate chip, but what kind do you want Irisa?" Claire asked, making Irisa frown.

"I've never had choc...o...late... or what's in the other bowl." Irisa told her aunt.

"Well, why don't you try some berries and some chocolate? See what you like!" Claire offered the girl a few berries and a couple of chocolate chips. Irisa grabbed at the chocolate, and sniffed it. She blinked at it, then lightly placed one of the chocolates in her mouth. She immediately spat it out and coughed.

"Mommy why would you eat this?!" Irisa wailed, a look of horror on her face.

Claudia burst out laughing at Irisa's look of utter despair. "I'm sorry baby, I didn't know you wouldn't like it. I'm sorry." Claudia choked out between fits of laughter.

"You know, I think I heard somewhere that Irathients aren't fond of chocolate generally. I shouldn't have offered you that Irisa, I'm sorry." Claire said to the still horrified little girl. "Here, try the berries, I think you'll like them better." The older human woman held the fruits out to the Votan child. Irisa, incredibly warily, reached out and took some berries.

"I'm trusting you, Auntie..." Irisa said cautiously as she put the berries into her mouth. Her eyes went wide. "More!" Tiny hands shot out for the bowl of assorted berries. Claudia, fully on top of her mom duties, grabbed her daughter before she could get close.

"Ris, let Claire bake em into the pancakes! You can eat in a minute." The younger human explained to the squirming child in her arms. Irisa sat back down and looked up at her mother.

"Promise?" Her eyes were challenging her mom to keep her from the food for long.

Claudia chuckled again. "I promise kiddo."

About an hour later, completely stuffed on pancakes, the trio of redheads were seated in Claire's living room. "So Irisa, can you read?" Claire asked the child. Claudia blinked her eyes. She had been with Irisa for two months and had never thought to check if her daughter could read.

"Well, father and mother never taught me... Momma can you teach me?" The Irathient asked her mom. Claudia nodded.

"Of course Risi! I'll read you a story a dear friend wrote and teach you the words and letters from it." Claudia had a dozen or so of HG's books, and even a copy of "Alice In Wonderland" as it was a Warehouse fabrication and she found it incredible.

"Thanks mom!" Irisa said happily, then groaned. "I ate too many pancakes mommy, make my tummy stop hurting!" The child curled into a ball.

Claudia sighed. "Sorry sweetie. I can't fix that." She patted Irisa's hair as Claire looked on sympathetically.

"Poor dear." Claire said apologetically. "I probably should have stopped you at four pancakes, nine is too many for a little one like you!"

Irisa moaned in agreement.

~*~*~

I can't believe I never thought if my kid can read! She's so clever though, I'm sure she'll pick it up quickly.

-Claudia Donovan


End file.
